Tom Seaver’s fastball was called strike three, putting him one out away from victory. But when it sailed to the backstop, everything changed.
On August 15, 1970, the Mets held a 2-1 lead over the Braves in Atlanta as Tom Seaver, already 17-6 on the year, worked to close it out. With the bases loaded and one out, Seaver blew a 1-2 fastball past Bob Tillman for strike three — except catcher Jerry Grote was expecting a curveball. The pitch sailed past him and the umpire, allowing the tying run to score. When Grote’s throw to the plate went into centerfield, the winning run followed. A masterful outing had suddenly turned into one of Seaver’s toughest losses.
From the archives:
“Seaver’s Pitch was Cross-up” — article by Atlanta sportswriter captures player reactions before manager Gil Hodges closed the clubhouse for a “cooling off period”
“Mets Throw Away a Win in 9th” — article by New York sportswriter recapping the event and noting that Seaver and Grote had a similar moment two months earlier